Showing 20 articles starting at article 901
Categories: Geoscience: Geography
Published Minke whales are as small as a lunge-feeding baleen whale can be
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study of Antarctic minke whales reveals a minimum size limit for whales employing the highly efficient 'lunge-feeding' strategy that enabled the blue whale to become the largest animal on Earth.
Published Arctic climate modelling too conservative
(via sciencedaily.com) Climate models used by the UN's IPCC and others to project climate change are not accurately reflecting what the Arctic's future will be, experts say.
Published Assessing the potential risks of ocean-based climate intervention technologies on deep-sea ecosystems
(via sciencedaily.com) An international team of experts convened remotely as part of the Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative's Climate Working Group to consider the deep-sea impacts of ocean-based climate intervention (OBCI). A research team has analyzed the proposed approaches to assess their potential impacts on deep-sea ecosystems and biodiversity. Their findings raise substantial concern on the potential impacts of these technologies on deep-sea ecosystems and call for the need for an integrated research effort to carefully assess the cost and benefits of each intervention.
Published Diverse approach key to carbon removal
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers find that 10 gigatons of carbon dioxide may need to be pulled from Earth's atmosphere and oceans annually to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. A diverse suite of carbon dioxide removal methods will be key.
Published The world's atmospheric rivers now have an intensity ranking like hurricanes
(via sciencedaily.com) Atmospheric rivers, which are long, narrow bands of water vapor, are becoming more intense and frequent with climate change. A new study demonstrates that a recently developed scale for atmospheric river intensity (akin to the hurricane scale) can be used to rank atmospheric rivers and identify hotspots of the most intense atmospheric rivers not only along the U.S. West Coast but also worldwide.
Published Scientists call for global push to eliminate space junk
(via sciencedaily.com) As almost 200 countries agree a legally-binding treaty to protect the High Seas, a collaboration of experts in ocean plastic pollution and satellite technology has urged world leaders to learn lessons from the management of the High Seas and act now to protect Earth's orbit.
Published Underused satellite, radar data may improve thunderstorm forecasts
(via sciencedaily.com) Tens of thousands of thunderstorms may rumble around the world each day, but accurately predicting the time and location where they will form remains a grand challenge of computer weather modeling. A new technique combining underused satellite and radar data in weather models may improve these predictions, according to a team of scientists.
Published Arctic river channels changing due to climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A team of international researchers have found that the rivers in Arctic Canada and Alaska are not behaving as expected in response to the warming climate. The study focused on large rivers in the region and their movement through permafrost terrain. Their findings highlight the impact of atmospheric warming on these vital waterways.
Published Life in the smoke of underwater volcanoes
(via sciencedaily.com) Disconnected from the energy of the sun, the permanently ice-covered Arctic deep sea receives miniscule amounts of organic matter that sustains life. Bacteria which can harvest the energy released from submarine hydrothermal sources could thus have an advantage. Scientists found bacteria uniquely adapted to this geo-energy floating in deep-sea waters. They describe the role of these bacteria for biogeochemical cycling in the ocean.
Published How climate change threatens Asia's water tower
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Tibet is known as the 'Water Tower of Asia,' providing water to about 2 billion people and supporting critical ecosystems in High Mountain Asia and the Tibetan Plateau, where many of the largest Asian river systems originate. This region is also one of the areas most vulnerable to the compounding effects of climate change and human activities. Researchers are identifying policy changes that need to happen now to prepare for the future impacts projected by climate models.
Published Can children map read at the age of four?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have found that children start to develop the basic skills that underlie map reading from the age of just four! The study involved 175 two to five-year-olds. It reveals that four-year-olds become able to use a scale model to find things in the real world.
Published Anthropogenic climate change poses systemic risk to coffee cultivation
(via sciencedaily.com) Coffee is important to the economies of coffee producing regions. A new study suggests that climate change may significantly affect land where coffee is cultivated.
Published Unprecedented increase in ocean plastic since 2005 revealed by four decades of global analysis
(via sciencedaily.com) A global dataset of ocean plastic pollution between 1979 and 2019 reveals a rapid and unprecedented increase in ocean plastics since 2005, according to a new study.
Published Smoke particles from wildfires can erode the ozone layer
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study finds that smoke particles in the stratosphere can trigger chemical reactions that erode the ozone layer -- and that smoke particles from Australian wildfires widened the ozone hole by 10 percent in 2020.
Published Grassroots data vital for reducing deadly bird-window strikes
(via sciencedaily.com) Much of the progress made in understanding the scope of bird deaths from building and window collisions has come as the result of citizen science, according to a newly published study. But the study also concludes that such grassroots efforts need more buy-in from government and industry, and better funding so they can keep a foot on the gas in their efforts to reduce bird-window collisions.
Published Pioneering study shows flood risks can still be considerably reduced if all global promises to cut carbon emissions are kept
(via sciencedaily.com) Annual damage caused by flooding in the UK could increase by more than a fifth over the next century due to climate change unless all international pledges to reduce carbon emissions are met, according to new research.
Published Study into global daily air pollution shows almost nowhere on Earth is safe
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In a new study of daily ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) across the globe, a new study has found that only 0.18% of the global land area and 0.001% of the global population are exposed to levels of PM2.5 -- the world's leading environmental health risk factor -- below levels of safety recommended by Word Health Organization (WHO). Importantly while daily levels have reduced in Europe and North America in the two decades to 2019, levels have increased Southern Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America and the Caribbean, with more than 70% of days globally seeing levels above what is safe.
Published Drones detect moss beds and changes to Antarctica climate
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers are using drones with highly advanced sensors and AI to map large areas and to study changes to Antarctica's climate.
Published Sea level rise poses particular risk for Asian megacities
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Sea level rise this century may disproportionately affect certain Asian megacities, according to new research that looks at the effects of natural sea level fluctuations in addition to climate change. The study identified several Asian megacities that may face especially significant risks by 2100, including Chennai, Kolkata, Yangon, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, and Manila.
Published Ocean surface tipping point could accelerate climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A study has found that intense global warming could shut down the ocean's ability to soak up carbon dioxide, leading to accelerated global warming as the greenhouse gas accumulates in the atmosphere. The decline happens because of a surface layer of low-alkalinity water that emerges during extreme warming that hinders the ability of the oceans to absorb CO2. The study is based on a climate simulation configured to a worst-case emissions scenario that the researchers say must be avoided at all costs.